Hair "Regime"

Since I chopping off all my creamy cracked hair and have been wearing my hair out (which I love, love, love to do)

People have been asking me about my regime or products I use...even though I've transisitoned for 15 months I never really fucked with my hair too tough. I'd wash it, I'd condition it, I'd moisturize it, braid it and slap a wig on...that was all really.

So here I am now figuring out what does and doesn't work in my hair...thing is...I'm cheap as hayle and I'm not into spending alot of money to keep up the dead follicles that make up my hair...I just don't see the point. I'm sure I can get great results on a dime...which I fully intend to do....so here's what I've been using/doing...

I stopped washing my hair about a month or so back, it was drying my scalp out so terribly the front of my head looked like I was battling a severe case of cradle cap. So once a week I will "wash" my hair with water and apple cider vinegar...it cleans my scalp so well and softens/defines my curls. This idea came from Monique and I sure thank her for that! That little tip was a GODSEND! ($3.00 at your local grocery store)

After I have washed my hair I deep condition with Herbal Essence Hello Hydration Conditioner and a few drops of carrot oil, I'll leave that in my hair for a couple of hours, I could sit under the dryer and speed up the process but I try to limit the amount of heat that I put on my hair all together so I just double bag my head and go on with my days activities (Herbal Essence Hello Hydration Conditioner $5.00 (for the big size) at Walmart, Carrot Oil $3.00-$4.00 at your local beauty supply)

After I've detangled my hair with a wide tooth comb and rinsed the conditioner I coat my hair with a very thin layer of Organix Vanilla Silk Conditioner being careful to avoid putting any on my scalp and then further detangle with my Denman Brush (a D4 if I'm not mistaken) I adopted the method of leaving in a bit of conditioner from Tightly Curly and at first I was skeptical but then I thought about it...conditioner conditions our hair...and also adds and holds moisture...makes sense to not wash it all down the drain...plus the vanilla silk smells like birthday cake yum! (Organix Vanilla Silk Conditioner $5.00-$6.00 at your local CVS/Walgreens, Denman Brush $5.00-$6.00 at your local beauty supply)

So by this point my hair is:

1. 
   
   Clean
2. 
   
   Conditioned
3. 
   
   Moisturized
4. 
   
   Detangled

So now I would be working on styling...I personally don't like "creating" waves/curls in my hair through bantu knots/braids/twists/etc...I just want to show the curl I already possess so here are the products I use for that...

Kids Organics Smoothing and Styling Gel

Yes it's gel...but after reviewing the product list I was okay with what I saw and the fact that it isn't that brown/black gel made me comfortable. So I gave it a whirl and I was happy with the results. It defined my curl and gave me a bit of shine but didn't feel too crunchy in my hair and when I shook my head my curls still moved. First 5 ingredients: Water, Sodium Hydroxymethlglycinate, Carbomer, Polysorbate 20, AMP-Acrylates/Allyl. It says it's "organic" but if you really look at it...not so much. It has good stuff in it (shea butter, olive oil, soybean oil, safflower oil, rosemary extract, tea tree oil, and honey) but those are towards the bottom of the list and as we all know, the first 5 ingredients are what really make up a product. ($4.30 at your local beauty supply)

Kids Organics Soft Hold Styling Pomade & Hairdress

I know you like damn this bitch using gel and pomade? Well the front of my hair is unruly as fuck (unlike the back which I can slick down with only water...go figure) and that gel would not hold not a damn thing down in the front, so if I want a smooth look I need to pull out the big guns...hence the pomade. First 5 ingredients: Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil, Lanolin, Gycine Soja (Soybean) Oil, Cera Microcristallina, Paraffin. Best results (for me) are when I put this on, brush down my hair and tie a scarf around my head...works especially well for my afro puffs that I favor so much. ($4.00 at your local beauty supply)

So now I'm all styled up...how do I keep my style? Well I'm glad you asked that question, I shall tell you now...

My moisture mix is one component. When my hair feels dry (I like my hair to feel cool to the touch, then I know it's moisturized, I can almost feel the water in my hair if you will...if it's room temperature then it's too dry) I'll spritz this concoction I came up with:

1. 
   
   Water
2. 
   
   Glycerin
3. 
   
   Few drops of Carrot Oil
4. 
   
   Raw Shea Butter

This concoction my whole family uses, makes the hair moisturized and promotes your natural wave/curl pattern...not to mention softens. I can't tell you the exact measurements because I just kinda played it by ear so to speak but it fills up an 8oz spray bottle, I've had it for the past 3 months (and like I said the whole family uses it and it's only half gone now) so a little goes a long way. The shea butter hardens but I just run it under hot water for awhile and then shake it up before spraying...works good for me.

The second part is Nubian Heritage Coconut & Papaya Lotion. Yes...Lotion as in body lotion, that's how it is packaged anyway. I went to the local beauty supply looking for coconut oil (I know, I know...I thought I might just luck up...yeah, no such luck) anywho I was passing down this aisle and the coconut part of the label caught my eye, sure it said lotion on the pack but I looked at the ingredients anyway (Coconut Oil, Shea Butter, Cocoa Butter, Olive Oil, Filtered Water, Vegetable Glycerin, Papaya Extract, Coconut Milk, Aloe Vera, Vitamin E, Comfrey Root Extract, Rosemary Extract) and I thought "Damn...this sounds like it would be great for my hair" so even though it was kinda pricey ($8.00) I brought it anyway...I'm glad I did. It's light and soaks into my hair quite well. I found it particularly effective after I've styled my hair with the gel (which combined with the conditioner can make it a bit crunchy to the touch).

This is how my curls looked after doing all of the above :-)

I know it seems like alot but really it's not...and this is just a once a week deal and though some of the items I have are pricey I've had those same bottles of conditioners/lotions/gels/ect for some time now since I don't 'gob' it into my hair. Hope this answers some of your questions!

Peace n blessings!